


Licking Wounds

by seijohyamaguchi



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, seijoh yamaguchi, tadashi is a gay disaster
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24890023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seijohyamaguchi/pseuds/seijohyamaguchi
Summary: What can two stray dogs do, if not keep an eye on eachother?-An alternate universe fic in which Yamaguchi attends Seijoh instead of Karasuno.
Relationships: Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kyoutani Kentarou/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 21
Kudos: 129





	1. A Fateful Encounter

Tadashi wouldn't consider himself an expert at much, except maybe being a wimp. That's what everyone in his class would say anyways. They would call him "Yamaguchi the crybaby" or "the invisible boy" not quite behind his back. He really couldn't argue with them, especially not at this very moment. He could feel blood dripping down his face, probably from his nose. It hurt, everything was sore and painful and it hurt, but Yamaguchi was a coward. He would never fight back, he would never tell anyone and he had learned to stop yelling for help a long time ago. 

At this moment there are two boys on either side of him; two of them have their fists up, one of them was kicking Tadashi hard in the ribs, and the other was digging through his bag looking for god knows what. Tadashi took it though, swallowing down the whimpers of pain and the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.

As long as I can get through this, I can go home, he thought to himself. He hated it here. He hated school, he hated his bullies, but he hated himself the most. He tries to think positive thoughts to drown out the shouts and the mean words of his classmates, telling him how he's worthless and will never amount to anything. Dumb, useless, ugly tadashi, alone and forever, that's all he'll ever be. He wants to shout 'shut up, I know that already' but suddenly like a ray of sun though the thickest cloud, a voice cuts through.

"Pathetic." 

The person who uttered it is taller than him, thin too, but couldn't be much older than Tadashi. He realizes quickly that his so-called saviour must have meant him too, why else would he have been looking Tadashi in the eye when he said it. He can't argue with him though, the blood and bruises on his face are enough to earn him the title of Pathetic from a stranger. Though, soon and without warning, Tadashi's bag is thrust at him and his bullies are sprinting in the other direction. The tall, blonde stranger looks him in the eye for a second more and stalks back towards the school gym. Tadashi would wonder later if he had hallucinated the strangers eyes softening from a look of malice to something kinder in that moment, but would ultimately shrug it off. Yamaguchi is so caught up in his own thoughts about the mysterious saviour that he can hardly feel the blood continuing to dribble out of his nose.

When he arrives home, his mother is sitting in the kitchen waiting for him. She welcomes him home with a big smile and a "Tadashi, I made your favourite for dinner!" but her smile quickly fades as she looks at her son with dismay. Surely she must be thinking 'Tadashi is such a good, kind boy' and 'who could ever do such a thing'. The sad look in his mother's eyes as she practically launches herself at him and holds him tight against her in a crushing hug is enough to break Tadashi's resolve. The tears and screams he had been pushing aside for so long finally find their voice and suddenly he's gasping for air between cries of "I'm so sorry, mom." Tadashi guessed he was a pretty big failure of a kid, but with his mother petting his hair and telling him how much she loved him, he couldn't be that bad right? 

When he calms down, his mother sits him on the bathroom counter and tends to the scratches and cuts on his face and arms. He half expects her to scrutinize him and tell him to toughen up, but it doesn't come. Instead, with her son's shaking hand in both of hers she asks, "Tadashi, did the kids at school do this to you?" she sounds sad. He opens his mouth to reply but nods his head once instead. 

He can feel his mother's hands beginning to tighten around his, "How long has this been happening?" 

Tadashi winces, he knows that the answer will make him sound pathetic, "6 months." he mumbles. 

She pulls him into a hug, "Tadashi, darling, I'm so sorry. We'll transfer you schools, okay? I'm so sorry, you'll never have to deal with this alone again, I promise." His mother pulls away and he sees the tears in her eyes as she smiles sadly at him. To him, moving schools felt like running away, but he supposes that a fresh start can't be that bad. He vows to be stronger, more in control of his emotions, and to never make his mother cry again. 

A week later finds Tadashi standing outside his new classroom, the blues and whites of his new uniform blending in with the rest of the students. He can hear his teacher giving him some lazy introduction as a new student transfering into the class starting today. Tadashi can feel his hands shaking and a lump in his throat but he does his best to swallow down his anxiety. He had promised himself a new start, and that meant not stuttering when he introduced himself and certainly not drawing any unwanted attention. Tadashi felt that as long as he could blend in and go unnoticed by his peers, he would be fine. 

He catches his teacher gesturing at him, a sort of get-in-here-already wave towards him. Tadashi inhales through his nose and steps into the classroom doing his best to make himself look as normal as possible. He can hear some of his male peers groan in disappointment as they learn that Yamaguchi is not, in fact, another girl to flirt with and fawn over them. Despite this, he raises his chin upwards as a false show of confidence in himself and he is asked to introduce himself and write his name on the board. He forces his hands not to shake as he writes out the kanji for his name and steps in front of the class, bowing his head.

"Nice to meet you all, my name is Tadashi Yamaguchi. I hope we can all get along!" He smiles at the last thing hoping it came out as kind. Tadashi is pointed towards a seat near the back of the class and he gratefully takes it and gathers his things to begin his new start. 

During break on his first day, a couple of guys in his class bombard Tadashi with general questions about himself. He had more or less expected this and had spent last night preparing answers to any of the questions he might have been asked: he moved because his mom got a new job, he was not part of any club and he didn't intend to be, and so on. The lies rolled off his tongue easily with the practice and once he was left alone to eat, he felt like he was finally blending in. 

All went well for the first two weeks at his new school. Tadashi was perfectly blending into the background, completely unnoticed. Sure, it was a little lonely at times, he wished that someone would share lunch with him or pass him notes in class but he was pretty used to being alone. That is until he meets the curious eyes of a classmate as he walks in one morning. His eyes followed Tadashi as he walked to his desk and sat down. His classmate continued this for the rest of the day, almost like he was trying to stare holes through Tadashi's skull. He didn't know much about his classmate; he was quiet and kept to himself, he always had a bored look on his face, and he didn't seem particularly motivated by school work. His name was often called on by his teacher, most of the time for not paying attention or for being asleep. He had seemed to be relatively harmless, or so Tadashi had thought before. 

The next day as he walked into the classroom, he noticed the classmates eyes immediately catching on him once again. Tadashi resolved to settle this now before he got hurt. Swallowing his fear, he walked up to his classmates desk, who now wore a startled look on his face. 

"Kunimi-san," Tadashi starts, willing his voice not to tremble, "Did I do something wrong? You've been looking at me like I killed your dog..." Tadashi laughed awkwardly as he trailed off. "Well, anyways, whatever I did, I'm sorry. I hope we can-" Tadashi is cut off by his peers' small voice. 

"Oh, Yamaguchi, right? Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He was quiet, and not quite looking Tadashi in the eyes. "Um.. I just thought, you know, you're just as quiet as me... but you seem pretty interesting. Sorry for staring, Yamaguchi. I, uh, hope we can be friends." Kunimi looks up at him tiredly. Tadashi can feel himself smile a little involuntarily. Nobody had ever asked him to be friends before. 

"Of course Kunimi-san." Kunimi's mouth turned up in what Tadashi would guess is his version of a smile, it was small enough that you'd miss it if you weren't paying attention.

"Oh, just Kunimi is fine by the way... I'm not big on all that honorifics crap." He replied as the bell signaled the beginning of class. 

Eating lunch with Kunimi was a semi daily occurrence now. Tadashi would drag a chair up to kunimi's desk and they would eat in silence. Every so often they might chat about something small like the weather or video games or tv but generally it was pretty calm and quiet. Tadashi didn't mind though, he was grateful for the company. It helped too that sometimes Kunimi would sneak food into Tadashi's bento while he wasn't looking and would steal food in return. It felt like Tadashi finally had a real friend. Some days though, a taller boy with pointy hair would show up at their classroom door and Kunimi would wordlessly stand and follow out the door, offering Tadashi a small nod as an apology. Tadashi didn't mind these days either, he knew that Kunimi would have friends without him and he was even part of a club! It stung a little, to be left behind, but as long as his friend was happy Tadashi didn't mind.

The rest of the year passes without much of an incident. However, one day near the end of the year, Kunimi shows up later than usual and instead of his normal disinterested demeanor he seemed... angry, from what Tadashi could discern. That morning they didn't chat before the bell went off. Though the second after the bell signaled break, Kunimi marched himself over to Tadashi's desk, grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him out of the classroom. The tall boy that usually got Kunimi's attention was standing outside the door waiting for them with a sour expression on his face. Kunimi grabbed his wrist too and trudged forward with both boys in tow. Moments later Kunimi is tugging them both into a nearby stairwell. Tadashi briefly wonders if his mediocre new life at this school is over and if he's about to be beat up by someone he considered his first friend. 

As they stop in the empty stairwell Kunimi looks upset and the tall boy beside him looks like he's nervous. Kunimi's hand is still wrapped around his wrist. Tadashi wonders if he should be nervous too. Before Kunimi can say anything, Tadashi opens his mouth and he can feel tears welling up in his eyes. Pathetic, he thinks of himself.

"I'm sorry." He says, his voice sounds far away and Tadashi almost doesn't recognize it as his own. He catches Kunimi's frustration leaving his eyes as he hears the nerves in Tadashi's voice. Kunimi's grip on Tadashi's wrist loosens.

"I'm not exactly sure what I did wrong, but please... don't hit me." Yamaguchi is pleading now. He knows it sounds pathetic but he made a promise to himself. 

"I'll leave you alone if you want. I-I can talk quieter or stop eating the food you give me. I'm sorry, please." Tadashi is rambling and he refuses to look Kunimi in the eyes, instead focusing on his shaking hands and willing the tears in his eyes to go away. Suddenly and without warning, warm arms are circling him and pulling him in. The action reminds him of his mother but he knows that it's Kunimi who's holding him now and Kunimi's hand running through his hair. Tadashi feels himself relax into the embrace as he hears Kunimi's soft voice from above him. 

"Hey, Yamaguchi, it's okay, I'm here and nobody is going to hurt you." Tadashi had always thought that Kunimi's voice was calming but it was especially apparent in this situation.

"Tadashi if someone's hurting you, you can tell me you know? I care about you. We're friends after all." The use of his given name from Kunimi and his kind words made Tadashi relax completely, mumbling a small apology under his breath as he stepped out of Kunimi's hug. 

"Oh." Kunimi started, like he had just remembered something important, "This is Kindaichi. We're on the volleyball team together.. I came out here to complain about a teammate but, it's really not that important anymore. Let's go eat lunch, okay?" Tadashi felt like he should be embarrassed for breaking down in front of Kindaichi but instead he only feels a warmth in his heart. 

The rest of his third year was spent with Kunimi and Kindaichi by his side. They ate lunch together and hung out after school and they would even invite Tadashi to watch their games or practices. Kindaichi, Tadashi would discover, is quite different from Kunimi. Where hanging out with Kunimi had mostly been spent in comfortable silence. Kindaichi preferred to fill the voids with stories and jokes and laughter, not that Tadashi minded. Tadashi was sure that Kunimi didn't mind either, with the way he would intently listen to his friend, even if he'd heard the story before. Tadashi decided he'd liked his new life, and sat comfortably between his two best friends. He felt like he could conquer the world. 

"Tadashiiiii," Kindaichi whined one day, after they had gotten off of practice, "You should join the volleyball team, you'd make practice so much more bearable. Ugh, if I have to spike for the King for the rest of the year without you I might die." Tadashi laughed at the look of despair on his friends face. Kindaichi and Kunimi have been trying to get Tadashi to join the team with them for a couple weeks now. It wasn't that Tadashi didn't like them or the sport but it was more so his nerves holding him down. 

"You really think I'd be any good at volleyball?" Tadashi wondered aloud, eyes dutifully watching his own hands poke and prod at some of the freckles on his legs. Kunimi made a noise of surprise from somewhere beside him as he sat in the grass. 

"Tadashi, we both think you'd be great at volleyball. You have the skills and drive for it." Kunimi says quietly, "That's really not what matters though. Win or lose, we want you at our side Tadashi." Tadashi can feel himself beaming. 

"I'll come sit in on your practices then, if you want." He starts, the pressure of being good enough relieved slightly by Kunimi's words, "and we can practice just the three of us to start out, if that's okay." Both boys could probably tell that Tadashi has been nervous about joining a team with people he didn't know and a sport he wasn't quite familiar with, so they agreed. 

"Of course. But next year you gotta join the high school team with us Tadashi," Kindaichi smiled over at him, the smile filled with something playful, "and you're gonna help us kick the King's ass." All three of them laughed at the declaration and agreed to the terms. 

Part of a team, huh? Tadashi thought to himself, A group of people with the same goal in mind and who will be by my side as friends. He has to admit it's a nice thought. 

The rest of the year passes in what Tadashi would consider a peaceful blur. Their graduation is not a sad affair, after Tadashi knows that he, Kunimi and Kindaichi will be going to the same high school. He also knows that high school will be another new start with him, which would normally terrify him. Though with his best friends at his side and the promise of fun in a new club was enough to quell his anxieties. 

At least, Tadashi thought it would. He stands at the school gate with his best friends at his side. His new uniform consists of beige plaid pants, a blue button up underarms cream vest and a white jacket. Tadashi had been hesitating walking through the gates when Kunimi and Kindaichi had arrived. He smiled and pretended he had been waiting for them the whole time. Even though he had spent all night last night watching tutorials on how to properly tie his uniform tie, he fidgeted with it in his hands trying to make it look correct. A hand placed over his, on the tie, stilled his fidgeting, he looked up as Kunimi smiled at him. Taking a deep breath, he smiled back and stood up straight. 

_ Okay _ , he thought,  _ Kunimi and Kindaichi have my back. Everything will be okay.  _

He was right. Everything about their first day had been uneventful. He ended up in class 1-6 with Kunimi and they were sitting beside each other. Tadashi thought that this would be a good year. However there was still something weighing on his mind, his promise with Kindaichi and Kunimi and his gym bag hanging on the side of his desk. Tadashi was incredibly nervous to join a club. Even though he had sat in on some of their practices last year and had spent plenty of time practicing with Kunimi and Kindaichi as well as by himself, he could feel a tug in his chest when thinking about handing in a club application form. 

When Tadashi was finally able to drag himself from his thoughts he found himself standing in front of the gym doors with his application form in his shaking hands. 

"Guys, I, uh.. don't think I can do this." He says dumbly, trying to remember when he had changed into his gym clothes and when he had filled the form out. Tadashi guesses that he had been so anxious about this moment that he had spent the rest of the day on autopilot. Kindaichi gave him a polite smile and ruffled a hand through his hair. 

"Yes you can, Tadashi," Kunimi's soft voice spoke out from beside him, "plus, we already know most of our senpai from middle school and they're not that scary. You're going to do great, and I can already tell you that Oikawa will love you." Tadashi feels a bit better at his friend's reassurance and the fact that their upperclassmen might not be as scary as he thought. 

As they open the gym doors and step inside all Tadashi sees is a blur as someone- an upperclassmen - rushed towards them, seemingly at full speed. The blur launched itself at Kunimi with an excited squeal. 

“Aki-chan!! Kin-chan!! I knew you would make it!” His voice is loud and a little whiny but Tadashi finds that it is commanding enough to capture his and the other gym occupants' attention, “Iwa-chan was being so mean and brutish to me! He said you guys wouldn’t come because I was a bad senpai!” The last sentence was said through a pout and the upperclassman finally stopped moving around so Tadashi finally got to take in the situation in front of him. Their upperclassman had swoopy hair that Tadashi thought looked effortlessly messy. Tadashi blushed slightly as he thought that their upperclassman looked pretty with a faked pout on his face, and even prettier when he smiled sheepishly as a shorter guy pulled him off Kunimi. Tadashi guessed that this boy must have been the ‘Iwa-chan’ in question as he seemed to keep the other upperclassman in check. He had shorter messy black hair and a scowl on his face, but Tadashi would admit that he looked good too. ‘Iwa-chan” may have been shorter but he also had more muscles than their pouty upperclassman. Speaking of which, the taller upperclassman had now turned his attention to Tadashi and he looked intense, though there was a playful glint in his brown eyes. 

“Kin-chan, Aki-chan. Is this lost puppy yours?” He stepped forward, practically inches away from Tadashi’s face, looking slightly down into his eyes. Tadashi can feel himself flush completely and his heart pounds in his chest. “What’s your name, puppy-chan? Are you just here to stare at handsome senpai? Or are you here to play volleyball? You know I’ve never seen you or heard of you at all.” Tadashi inwardly cursed himself for flushing and thinking that he looks good even as he is being ,, threatened? Tadashi thinks that’s what this is. Tadashi opens his mouth to respond but is cut off by a gruff but smooth voice. 

“Oi, shittykawa, stop tormenting the poor kid.” Iwa-chan was stern, but he had a kind look in his eyes. After pushing the upperclassman - Shittykawa? - out of Tadashi’s face he smiled directly at Tadashi. From this, Tadashi finds that Iwa-chan is indeed incredibly handsome under his scowl. Tadashi flushes again at his own thoughts. 

_ Keep it together Tadashi. We can explore these,, gay thoughts later but for right now, focus. _ He berated himself. 

“Sorry about that,” He says as he takes Tadashi’s - now crumpled - club application form and gives it a once over, "Yamaguchi, huh? You didn't play in middle school I guess. Still it's nice to have you. I'm iwaizumi Hajime, vice captain. Mr. No-manners over there is the team captain Oikawa Tooru." The next thing is half whispered to him as Iwaizumi-san steps close. "He likes to pretend he's a tough guy but I know that he sleeps with a four foot tall kirby plushie. He's harmless, I promise." 

Tadashi bursts out in hysterical laughter loud enough to cut through the chatter in the gym and Oikawa-san’s cries of “mean Iwa-chan”. Tadashi notices the quiet in the gym as he sucks in a breath and he suddenly stills. As Tadashi tenses and opens his mouth to apologize he’s swarmed by Oikawa, whose intense look has been replaced with one of adoration.

“Puppy-chan is so cute! Iwa-chan, Iwa-chan make him laugh again! Pleaaaase!” He practically squeals. At this, Tadashi laughs softly, remnants of Iwaizumi’s comment making him giggly. “Iwa-chaaaan, look at him! Can we keep him, can we!!” Oikawa’s intimidating mood had changed completely and he was unabashedly fawning over Tadashi. 

“Dumbass, he’s not a pet, leave him alone. He’s just here to play volleyball, Assikawa.” Iwaizumi said, pointedly looking away. If anyone noticed the slight flush high on Iwaizumi’s tanned cheeks, they didn’t comment on it. 

Ushering Tadashi, Kunimi and Kindaichi past a pouting Oikawa, Iwaizumi announces that he’ll be introducing them to their teammates. It turns out that they are the only first years to join this year. Iwaizumi begins by introducing them to the second years stretching in one corner of the gym. As they approach the two boys, the shorter of the two looks up at them and smiles. Tadashi takes in the sight of the second years. 

The smaller of the two has kind grey and a kinder, dazzling smile, as well as a shaved head and tanned skin. The other has soft, brown eyes and short hair that Tadashi has a hard time distinguishing the exact colour of - it seems to be some perfect mix of grey and blonde and a honey brown that Tadashi knew he would never be able to pull off. If he had to choose one word to describe the duo before talking to them he would choose ‘kind’. They almost reminded Tadashi of a small bird and a rabbit, soft and kind. When they had walked up the two had been discussing setting techniques. They introduced themselves to the group as Watari Shinji and Yahaba Shigeru. 

“Nice to meet you Yahaba-san and Watari-san. Are you guys both setters?” Tadashi questioned, hoping to learn a little more about the team and their dynamics. Watari answered first, “Please, just Watari is fine, and I’m sure Yahaba feels the same. Oikawa has dumb nicknames for everyone so theres no real need to be formal.” Yahaba snickers at this and Oikawa calls out a, “Watachi! Not you too! This whole team is mean!” 

As a response to his question Watari explains that the team's main setter is Oikawa and Yahaba is their backup. He also explains that he had been a setter in middle school but when he saw Oikawa and Yahaba during his first year he had decided to switch positions instead since they didn’t have an official libero yet. He also prompted the first years asking which positions they played. They found that Kindaichi was a middle blocker and Kunimi was a wing spiker. Tadashi had been caught up in the conversation and had briefly forgotten that he was actually meant to respond to this as well and so was shocked when all eyes were on him. He fumbled with his hands and turned his head to the floor, suddenly embarrassed. 

“I’ve never actually played in a game b-but, I think I’d like to be a middle blocker, too…” he trails off. He knows that admitting he’s never played in a volleyball game makes it less likely for him to actually play in any games this year but he’s just here for his friends,, right? Just as he’s about to turn away and apologize for wasting everyone's time when he feels a strong hand on his shoulder. He looks up to again find Iwaizumi’s kind hazel eyes on him. 

“You’ve got the spirit for it, you’re a little short but, I believe in you.” It was such a simple statement but Tadashi felt it in his core, Iwaizumi’s genuine faith in him. He nodded and thanked Iwaizumi quietly, only loud enough for Iwaizumi to hear him. Iwaizumi pulls him away from the rest of the group telling the four that he was going to introduce Yamaguchi to the other third years. As they walk over, without looking at him Iwaizumi says “You don’t have to be so nervous about your standing in the team. Oikawa might look self-centred but he would never overlook someone's potential. If I can see your potential then so can he, it’ll be okay, you don't have to panic.” At the end of this he reaches over to ruffle a hand through Tadashi’s hair and looks away. This time Tadashi does catch the pink of a flush on Iwaizumi’s cheeks. 

They walk towards a bench where the last two people in the gym are chatting and laughing. They both have lazy smiles on their faces and seem to be enjoying each other's presence, Tadashi almost feels like he’s intruding. The one seated on the bench had messy black hair, just longer than Iwaizumis own, his eyebrows were thick but quirked up when he laughed slightly at something the other boy said. He had his arms around the other boy's shoulders, who sat on the ground between his legs. The second boy was paler and had light short hair that Tadashi would swear is almost pink, if not strawberry-blonde. He finds that the pink haired boy's eyes are a little more down turned and that his face betrayed his flush far more easily than the other as the black haired boy leaned down to whisper something into his ear. Just then Tadashi definitely felt like he was intruding even more and looked pointedly away from the interaction between his upperclassmen.

The two introduced themselves as Makki and Mattsun, Tadashi guessed those were their Oikawa approved nicknames as Iwaizumi sighed and said, "Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Issei, they're both third years and they're chronic dumbasses. They love pranks so don't let them lure you in." 

They chatted for a while, Mattsun and Maki doing most of the talking, about nothing and everything it seemed. Tadashi learned that they had a love for memes and making fun of Oikawa, to which Iwaizumi would more often than not join in on. Before leaving Mattsun and Maki make sure that Tadashi is set up and put into their team's group text entitled "Iwachans biceps" with several… vulgar emojis that Tadashi would flush at later. 

Once properly introduced to everyone he looks around the gym to find that he, Mattsun, Maki, and Iwaizumi are the last to leave the gym. Tadashi guessed that because of the first years joining the team they wouldn't be holding an official practice instead allowing them the day to adjust. As he gathered his things and made his way out of the gym he made sure to shoot a text to the group chat between himself, Kindaichi and Kunimi telling them where to meet him when they were done with whatever they were doing. 

With his hand on the handle of the club room he can hear an almost whispered fight happening. Tadashi froze, unmoving.  _ This is the room Iwaizumi-san told me I was okay to change in right? God I hope they don't think I'm intruding and beat me up.  _ Tadashi's thoughts run rampant with the looming threat of bodily harm and he can't find the strength to move or talk as the door is flung open, ripping the handle out for Tadashi's hand. 

He is met face to face with a boy about his height with angry, piercing eyes that softened with shock as he bumped into Tadashi. They immediately hardened again like he had just remembered why he was angry, though they remained awkwardly standing with mere inches between each other, like neither of them could find their footing. Tadashi took in the sights of him: he was slightly shorter than Tadashi, with light brown eyes that catch almost golden flecks in the sun, he has bleached blonde hair that's closely cropped with two dark stripes that wrap around his head. It's an odd hair choice but Tadashi can't help but find it a little cute. He also notices that the boy appears to be wearing eyeliner, Tadashi wonders briefly if it's to make him look tougher, angrier, though again Tadashi finds it adds to his charm. His lips are chapped, Tadashi notices, as they form words that Tadashi was most definitely not paying attention to. Tadashi mentally questioned himself on when he had become so gay. The thought was pushed aside as Tadashi mused that while the boy wasn't traditionally handsome, there was something about him that made Tadashi's heartbeat quicken. He guessed that the boy may have been considered ruggedly handsome, he looked like he could definitely beat Tadashi up, what with all the muscles and stuff. Though, with the emotions Tadashi had already seen course through the boys eyes in a matter of seconds, he guessed that the rugged exterior was just for show.

"Uh, sorry, what?" Tadashi answered eloquently, finally finding his voice. 

"You just g'nna stand there an' stare at me or are you g'nna get the fuck out out my way?" Tadashi had expected the boy to have a gruff, gravelly voice but instead found that it was smooth, and had a slight accent as he muttered the statement again. 

"Oh," Tadashi responded, nerves coursing through his system once again, "Sorry I'll move. I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi by the way, a first year." He stepped to the side. A look of interest flashed through the others eyes quickly, Tadashi would have missed it if he were not intently trying to memorize every colour of spec in them. 

"Kyoutani Kentarou." The other mumbled in passing, as he walked past Tadashi he heard him mutter, "see ya 'round Freckles." 

Tadashi's hand reached up to touch the spots he knew speckled his cheeks and nose. 

He turned around before the other could leave and, in excitement gave the other a wide toothy smile and a "see you around!"

The whole interaction lasted barely a minute but it was enough to bring a flush to Tadashi's face and have his mind racing. This boy was in the volleyball club room yet none of the upperclassmen had spoken about him. To Tadashi he seemed mysterious, like a puzzle that Tadashi couldn't wait to crack. 

_ See you 'round _ , he had said, and Tadashi hoped he'd meant it. 

Before he could think any more of the encounter Yahaba stepped out of the clubroom, face flushed with what Tadashi guessed was anger or frustration.  _ The two of them must have been arguing _ , he notes. When Yahaba speaks to him, he swears every word that comes out of his mouth is seething. Tadashi makes a mental note to never piss Yahaba off. 

"Yamaguchi-kun, don't get involved with that asshole. He's nothing but a lowlife degenerate. You know he's not called Seijoh's feral Mad Dog for nothing. Be careful around him."


	2. Introspection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi deals (or doesn't) with new developments in his life.

The fateful encounter set Tadashi through a whirlwind of emotions. A dashing stranger, eyes meeting eyes, an issued caution; the whole thing felt so surreal Tadashi almost didn’t believe the exchange of words even happened. His thoughts fluttered through his mind like hummingbirds, jumping from one possibility - one theory - to the next, all threading together to try and form some opinion on the stranger, on the warning. A chime from his bag pulls him from his thoughts, he rifles through his bag to find the source. 

**From** Akira  (＿ ＿*) Z z z

**Subject:** ...

we left a little b4 u,,, meet by th school gates whn ur dne.

He smiled a bit as he pocketed his phone again, the acrylic dog charm - matching with Kindaichi and Kunimi - clacking softly against his phone as he moved it. Tadashi always thought that the way Kunimi texted was very fitting, he tended to leave out random vowels that he seemed to deem unnecessary to convey the thought. It was a lazy, almost bare minimum way of typing, Tadashi found it kind of cute, the dedication to apathy. He spots them by the gates and Kindaichi offers him a small wave as he catches their eyes. 

“Sorry I took so long,” Tadashi apologizes earnestly, “I guess I lost track of time talking with the other third years. Did you guys have a good time?” Tadashi wonders if they had already known the second years that they had been introduced to too, or if his friends had only been acquainted with Iwaizumi and Oikawa in the past. On their walk home Tadashi learns that they had only met Iwaizumi and Oikawa in the past and meeting the second years was a new but welcome experience. He found that when he had been laughing along with the third years, less Oikawa, that Kunimi and Kindaichi had been learning about the team and their dynamics from Yahaba and Watari. The mention of Yahaba’s name was almost enough to pull Tadashi’s thoughts back into a chaotic whirlwind of piercing gazes and strong arms. He organized himself enough to ask though, hoping for a clearer picture. 

“Did Yahaba-san mention any ‘Mad Dog’?” Tadashi didn’t know why he had grown so nervous in acting, it wasn’t like Kyoutani was around to hear the question. They mull it over for a moment before Kindaichi answers. 

“Not much, I think.” he starts, “Though, before he left he told Watari that he had to deal with some mutt. Maybe that’s what he was talking about?” Kunimi had remained silent for the entire time, and though they were walking together Tadashi could feel his attentive gaze. 

“So what is it?” Kunimi speaks up, voice soft as ever, “What is the Mad Dog?” 

Tadashi wonders if he should tell them. It’s not like he knows much more than them about him, other than to put a name and a face to the supposed reputation. Tadashi knew nothing about what made Kyoutani Kentarou so dangerous, but he was intrigued to find out. He knew however, that Kunimi and Kindaichi wouldn’t let him satisfy this curiosity if they had heard the warning. They would refuse to let him speak to - let alone try to get near to - someone associated with a threat to Tadashi’s emotional or physical well being. The thought of his friends having his back and caring so deeply for him made him smile. He figured though, that simply satisfying his curiosity couldn’t be a dangerous venture, and decided to keep his secret to himself.

“I’m not sure either, I heard Yahaba say something about it when I got to the clubroom,” he lies, biting his lip, “thought maybe you guys would have heard something.” Tadashi knows that in the grand scheme of things, this lie is incredibly small and doesn’t have much bearing. He knows just as well that Kunimi and his ever watchful eyes can probably see through this lie, he probably knows more about Tadashi than he knows about himself. Though the weight of the lie still ties knots in Tadashi’s stomach, he hates being a dishonest person. He tells himself that the small lie is for his own good, yet he wonders how much good it could possibly do. 

When he arrives home, the rest of his night passes just as fast as his day had. The moments mix and blur together until Tadashi finds himself flopping into bed in the dark silence of his own room. He figured that maybe the hustle and bustle of a new school, a new team, and new beginnings had thrown off his brain to which time seemed almost like an illusion. He shakes off the thought, instead choosing to let his mind wander to the events of the day that he can remember. He thinks about the kindness of strangers that had occurred and the warmth it had caused him. Thinking back on the way Iwaizumi ushered him around, getting him introduced and acquainted with the new things and people in Tadashi’s life and how Iwaizumi pulled him aside when he noticed Tadashi becoming a tad overwhelmed. Tadashi felt a swell in his heart as he remembered the blatant kindness of his upperclassman. It felt as though Iwaizumi had meant to swoop him under his wing like a baby bird, keeping Tadashi safe and warm under his muscular wings (well, arms).

This particular utterance in his brain brings back some, rather unfamiliar thoughts and feelings that had occurred for Tadashi in his new beginnings. He flushes from the embarrassment as he remembers his predicament, throwing an arm over his eyes as if not seeing made him not have to address the feelings. At school, the simple thoughts and fleeting glances at his peers seemed innocent enough. Addressing those thoughts and emotions now made Tadashi a little nauseous.

Sure, Tadashi had known from a young age that he was different from other kids. Well, it was more like the notion that Tadashi was different was shoved into him, punched and kicked into him by kids who deemed Tadashi as less than his peers. He had always figured that was it though, that there was no real reason Tadashi had been deemed different and picked on other than being weak. These new thoughts and urges however, was a whole new wheelhouse for Tadashi. This was something he had no prior experience with and not really anybody to talk with about it. 

Tadashi was not raised in a way that was disrespectful to any people of any background, but the topic of being  _ gay _ had never come up in the Yamaguchi household. It was never even considered. Even if it was never spoken aloud, Tadashi knew his father expected him to settle down with a nice girl after university and have a family. Tadashi had always been apprehensive about this, though he always figured it was because he was too young to understand the concept of love, not because he was blatantly disinterested. 

_ You don’t know that you’re disinterested _ , Tadashi scolds himself in his mind.  _ You don’t know that you're Interested. You’ve never had a crush on a girl and now you’re falling all over yourself for some guy with pretty eyes,  _ another part of his brain supplies. It seems as though every corner of his mind is arguing inwards, it's loud and far too much for him. The voices continue through the night, never giving Tadashi so much as a break. When it begins to take a turn for the worst, his brain supplying the endless stored up insults of his peers along with his newfound tendencies to tear Tadashi down from the inside out, Tadashi resigns himself to sleep. 

_ Tadashi grew up tormented by bullies, kids who loved to tear him down. They began by writing things on his desk in large, scribbled letters.  _

_ Loser. _

_ Crybaby.  _

_ Ugly. _

_ Useless. _

_ Coward.  _

_ All things Tadashi had encountered before. When Tadashi saw the words, he only ever took time to scrub his desk clean, making sure his tormentors never saw the tears he had shed for himself in the bathroom afterwards. When the boys in his class didn’t get the reaction they were looking for, it got more physical. Brooms knocked against his ankles while they were cleaning, shoulders forcefully knocking him in the hallways. Tadashi remained complacent with it, keeping a smile forced on his face. He only began crying in front of his bullies when they had begun to throw punches and land kicks on Tadashi. He cried in pain. Worst of all were the words though. Bruises and scratches, for the most part, would heal in a couple of days. Tadashi was used to the timelines of purplish bruises and was well acquainted with their colours the morphed his skin as they healed.  _

_ That was the thing. Physical wounds heal.  _

_ The insults stuck. They hurled them like rocks at Tadashi, cracking the glass that is Tadashi’s already fragile self confidence. He imagines it as such, a transparent sheet with many, many fractures of all shapes and sizes. It probably looks ugly, mangled. Tadashi would expect nothing more of himself.  _

_ His brain reminded him, again and again.  _

_ Loser.  _

_ Crybaby. _

_ Ugly. _

_ Useless. _

_ Coward. _

_ But now a couple of new terms stood out in Tadashi’s mind, mocking him.  _

_ Freak.  _

_ Disgusting. _

_ Faggot.  _

The next weeks pass by in relative normalcy. Tadashi goes to classes, he takes notes and lets Kunimi steal bits of his lunch over their shared desk. He attends practice and he tries his best. He does not think about how handsome Iwaizumi looks when he spikes and his shirt lifts up just enough for him to see a sliver of tanned skin. He does not think about how pretty Oikawa looks when he flashes them a smile after a successful play. And he absolutely does not think about the golden gaze of Seijoh’s Mad Dog and where the boy is now. He does not think of these things because he knows his brain would only yell at him, and his head already feels heavy enough. 

It is exactly two and a half weeks after their first day at Aoba Johsai when Kunimi and Kindaichi corner him in the clubroom after practice. 

“Tadashi, what’s going on with you?” Kunimi looks not quite angry, but stern and like he won’t take no for an answer. Tadashi had always hated it when Kunimi got the authoritative air about him, it was impossible to get Kunimi to back down and he was kind of scary. In this situation they are left alone in the clubroom, Kindaichi standing behind Kunimi as though he’s afraid he might incur Kunimi’s wrath if he speaks too loud. 

“Nothing’s going on, Akira.” Tadashi lies quietly, though he’s sure that his two friends are not at all convinced by his performance. Tadashi can feel his palms sweating and his hands starting to shake. He thought that he had been doing a pretty good job of pretending, even to himself, that whatever was going on with him wasn’t actually happening. He guesses it wasn’t enough though. 

_ Does this mean I have to come out of the closet?  _ Tadashi briefly wonders,  _ how am I supposed to do that, I don't even know what’s going on yet.  _

“Tadashi, you’ve barely spoken to us in the last week. This morning we walked by a dog and you didn’t even say anything.” Kunimi’s voice is mostly firm but Tadashi can hear the waiver of emotions in it and starts to feel bad. “We’re worried about you.” 

“A-are you being bullied again?” Kindaichi had seemingly found his voice from behind Kunimi. 

His voice was dripping with care and concern and hurt. The dam holding everything in broke and Tadashi nearly doubled over with the weight of his sobs. _So much for being strong and independent_ , he scrutinizes. Words come out before Tadashi can stop them, falling from his mouth and shattering his secrets on the floor between the three. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” Tadashi's voice wobbles as he sits on his knees in front of his best friends. “I was just scared and I don’t know what to do or what to think and this is all so new and I don’t know anything about him and I’ve only seen him once so why am I falling all over myself for him. I’m just so scared and overwhelmed and-” Tadashi’s rambling is cut off by a hand placed on his head, startling him. He looks up to find his two best friends looking at him through eyes glassy with unshed tears. 

“Slow down ‘dashi,” Kunimi’s voice is back in its normal soft range and is tinted with affection. “You know it’s okay to have crushes right?” Tadashi nods. “On anyone, even boys.” Tadashi looks away. He knew his secret would eventually come out but he hadn’t even admitted it to himself yet. He sniffles another apology before he’s pulled into a crushing hug by Kindaichi, Kunimi falling in shortly after. 

“No matter what happens Tadashi. We’ll always be right here, promise.” Kindaichi says firmly, Tadashi believes every word. In this moment, wrapped up in his best friend's arms and still sobbing softly, Tadashi feels safer than he has ever felt before.Once the sniffles clear the three of them stand up together and an arm is slug around Tadashi’s shoulders. 

“Let's go home, Tadashi.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!   
> If you would like to discuss seijoh Yamaguchi headcanons, come hang out with me on twitter; @kyouiwa   
> uh,, I know Kyouyama is not an incredibly popular ship but I hope i can make people like it, even if a little bit more!  
> I'll try my best to keep time between updates short, though I don't know how long the fic will be!  
> I love reading comments and I always appreciate every one!  
> Happy Reading!  
> ~ Ris @kyouiwa


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